MapTrack calculations from public 2026 US government schedules: what an idle machine still costs to own, what a working one costs, the wage of an operator left waiting, and what a state road contract charges for each day it runs late. Each card shows the rows and arithmetic behind it.
US$131 a day
What an idle 20-tonne excavator costs to own
A 20-tonne-class excavator that is broken down or standing idle still costs about US$16.39 an hour to own, or US$131 over an eight-hour day, before repairs, operator wages, a replacement machine or any delay penalty.
Cite as: MapTrack Industry Statistics, https://www.maptrack.com/statistics/equipment-downtime-cost#downtime-idle-excavator-ownership-2026
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US$61 to US$228 a day
Idle ownership cost across common construction machines
Common construction machines cost about US$61 to US$228 a day to own while idle: US$61 for a compact track loader, US$131 for a 20-tonne excavator, US$153 for a motor grader, US$176 for a mid-size wheel loader and US$228 for a 30-tonne excavator.
Cite as: MapTrack Industry Statistics, https://www.maptrack.com/statistics/equipment-downtime-cost#downtime-idle-ownership-range-2026
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US$96.41 an hour
What a working 20-tonne excavator costs per hour
A 20-tonne-class excavator costs US$96.41 an hour to own and operate before the operator's wage, under California's 2026-27 equipment rate for a Caterpillar 320.
Cite as: MapTrack Industry Statistics, https://www.maptrack.com/statistics/equipment-downtime-cost#downtime-excavator-operating-rate-2026
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US$28.66 an hour
Median wage of a US construction equipment operator
US construction equipment operators earned a median US$28.66 an hour, or US$59,600 a year, in May 2025, so a paid eight-hour wait beside a stopped machine costs about US$229 in wages alone.
Cite as: MapTrack Industry Statistics, https://www.maptrack.com/statistics/equipment-downtime-cost#downtime-operator-wage-us-2025
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US$3,498 a day
Late-completion charge on a US$5 million to under US$10 million road contract
Florida's transportation department charges US$3,498 for every calendar day a US$5 million to under US$10 million road contract finishes late, and US$11,171 a day plus 0.005% of the excess on contracts of US$40 million or more.
Cite as: MapTrack Industry Statistics, https://www.maptrack.com/statistics/equipment-downtime-cost#downtime-liquidated-damages-fdot-2026
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US$1,318 to US$11,171 a day
Daily late-completion charge across every size of Florida road contract
Florida's transportation department charges between US$1,318 and US$11,171 for each calendar day a road contract finishes late, rising with contract size from under US$300,000 to US$40 million or more, where 0.005% of the excess is added.
Cite as: MapTrack Industry Statistics, https://www.maptrack.com/statistics/equipment-downtime-cost#downtime-late-completion-range-fdot-2026
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Worked example, one day on a US$5 million to under US$10 million Florida road contract: a broken-down 20-tonne excavator costs US$131 to own while it sits (Caltrans 2026-27), and a paid operator waiting beside it about US$229 at the median wage (US Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025). If the breakdown holds up the critical path for that day, the late-completion charge alone is US$3,498 (Florida Department of Transportation, FY 2026-27), about 27 times the idle machine's own cost. In this example the idle machine's ownership cost, before any repair bill, is the smallest line: the people and the contract clock waiting on it cost far more.
Recalculate this worked example for your own machine count, days and contract size.